Pipes made of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) are used in a wide variety of settings. For instance, PVC pipes are frequently used in irrigation systems for lawns and golf courses. Pipes made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) may be used in similar settings. Because of their use in similar settings, situations arise in which there is a need to connect PVC pipes to HDPE pipes. However, due to the characteristics of HDPE and PVC, HDPE pipes cannot easily be chemically welded to PVC pipes. Furthermore, manufacturers of HDPE pipes generally recommend against using threaded connections on HDPE pipes. Moreover, threaded joints between HDPE pipes and PVC pipes tend to exhibit poor pressure resistance. In other words, a HDPE pipe and a PVC pipe connected with a threaded joint tend to separate when internal pressure is too high.
In accordance with one solution to this problem, a cylindrical metal insert is forced into a neck of an HDPE pipe. As the metal insert is forced into the neck of the HDPE pipe, the metal insert exerts outward radial force. Reciprocally, the neck of the HDPE pipe exerts inward radial force on the metal insert. The inward radial force keeps the metal insert from moving relative to the neck of the HDPE pipe after the metal insert is installed. The inner surface of the metal insert is threaded such that a PVC pipe can be threaded into the metal insert.